The Punjab government has moved to strengthen legal protections for forests by introducing key amendments to the Forest Act 1927, proposing tougher penalties, stricter enforcement mechanisms, and the establishment of new forest protection units.
The Forest Amendment Bill 2025 was tabled in the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday, outlining a series of stringent measures to curb deforestation, timber smuggling, and encroachment. Under the proposed changes, the punishment for forest-related crimes will increase from the current six months to a minimum of five years and a maximum of seven years. The bill also suggests imposing fines ranging from Rs500,000 to Rs5 million on offenders.
The bill calls for the creation of Forest Protection Centres across the province. These centres will be supervised by Deputy Rangers, while the bill also mandates uniforms for forest officers. It further authorises the Director General Forests to establish check posts and empowers forest officers to arrest suspects without a court warrant. The Secretary Forests will be authorised to appoint investigation officers, and any forest officer found guilty of involvement in crime will also face punishment.
A special court for forest-related cases will be established, while individuals who provide credible information on forest crimes will be awarded appreciation certificates, with their identity kept confidential for safety reasons.
According to the government, the amendments aim to strengthen forest conservation and improve administrative oversight. The bill has been forwarded to the relevant committee for two months of review, after which it will return to the assembly for approval. The final assent will be given by the Governor of Punjab.
